Cracking Down? The ASAI Have Introduced Some Strict New Guidelines For Irish Bloggers

They'll need to declare if they're getting paid to promote a product under the new rules.

The Irish blogging scene is bigger than ever and that’s presented a massive gap in the market for companies and PR agencies who want these popular faces to promote their products.

That can equate to big spends for bloggers with a large following, but as the market for influencer advertising expands, so too do the regulations, and bloggers across Ireland will now need to take extra special care when it comes to sharing paid collaborations with brands.

That’s because the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) have introduced new guidelines to prevent consumers being “misled” by blogger-brand sponsorships, whether the promotion is on the influencer’s website or social channels.

Bloggers will now need to provide a visible declaration that the post is a paid-for promotion to “ensure that all marketing communications are easily identifiable as being separate to independent editorial content.”

Speaking of the new guidelines, Orla Twomey, CEO of the ASAI said:

“The area of influencer marketing has seen a number of in-depth conversations both online and in the media recently as consumers voice their concerns about bloggers who may or may not be declaring marketing communications.

“The new ASAI guidelines aim to address these concerns and develop a uniform set of standards applicable to both companies and the bloggers who deliver the marketing communications.”

The message to bloggers is clear: if you’ve been paid to promote something, you must declare it.